Chapter 10  

“…All right.”

Alina pressed her lips together, then began writing a short letter.

“I can’t come tomorrow.
I caught a cold.
I’ll definitely come the day after tomorrow.
Sorry.”

After writing it, her eyes clouded over.

If I don’t go to the garden tomorrow… will Rihart go hungry?

Until now, Alina had always thought getting sick was her own personal problem.

But now that someone was waiting for her, she felt she absolutely couldn’t afford to get sick.

I should go to the infirmary early tomorrow morning.

She folded the letter into a small strip and tied it to Til’s leg.

Til stayed still until she finished tying it, then chirped loudly.

Alina watched him smooth the black-tipped feathers on his wings and reminded him again and again:

“Make sure you tell him I’ll definitely come the day after tomorrow. Can you repeat it? ‘Risse… day after tomorrow.’ Like this. Try it?”

“Tasty tomorrow, Risse!”

“…Close enough.”

The letter would explain the rest anyway.

Alina opened the window wide and let Til fly out.

She watched the small white bird flap away, worry faintly showing on her face.

***

“So. You said you had a high fever yesterday?”

“Yes… a little.”

“That’s not the face of someone who was only ‘a little’ sick.”

Greta frowned as she looked at Alina’s pale face.

“And your medicine?”

“I picked it up from the infirmary.”

“Then rest today. Trudy will do your share of the work.”

At that, Trudy—who was chopping carrots—froze.

“Why me?”

“Because while you were on leave, Risse filled your spot. So who do you think is responsible for her getting sick?”

Greta’s cold remark made Trudy slump her shoulders.

“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault. Fine, I’ll work more.”

“You heard her, right? Go home, Risse.”

“Thank you. Um… Greta, can I ask for one favor?”

Greta put her hands on her hips.

“What is it?”

“I’d like to prepare my own meals separately, just for a while.”

“Why?”

Alina chose her words carefully.
If she wanted to keep packing food for Rihart, Greta’s permission was necessary.

“I guess I still haven’t adjusted well to Malerhark food. I’ll cover the cost with my own wages. I’ll tell the palace steward too.”

“No need for that.”

Greta pointed toward the waste bins behind the pantry.

“You know how much food gets thrown out every day. You eating a little extra won’t cause any trouble.”

“Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, then stop getting sick.”

Greta said this casually and pushed grumbling Trudy toward the fish they were supposed to steam today.

Fish stew again, Alina thought.

They would probably just toss the fish in plain water and boil it until it stank.
They did that last time, and the smell was awful.

Just thinking about it made her head hurt.

Anyway… let me just do what I can.

Alina stood and tore open a loaf of bread.

She had sent Til with the letter last night, but she still felt uneasy.
That’s why she went to the infirmary as soon as the sun rose.

Rihart was probably unable to eat anything if she didn’t go. She couldn’t just lie around.

Fortunately, the medicine from the infirmary worked extremely well.
If she rested all day, she would be fine tomorrow.

But whether she rested or not… she still had to prepare Rihart’s meal.

She grabbed bananas and peanut butter from the pantry and began toasting bread.
This would be his lunch today.

She planned on giving this to him and returning to rest.

After all, the only people who ever made sure he ate were his awful brother and Alina.

On the warm toast, she spread a thick layer of peanut butter and placed thin slices of banana on top.

Then she sprinkled cinnamon generously so it wouldn’t taste too heavy.

Even simple food became delicious when Alina made it.
This time was no exception.

Perfect.

She wrapped the banana sandwich neatly and added two bottles of fresh milk delivered that morning.

***

At the garden, Alina waited and looked around.

But Rihart didn’t show up.

Looks like Til delivered the message properly.

She felt relieved—yet also a little disappointed.

Kicking at a pebble near the bench, she realized something important:

She had no idea how to find Rihart when she wanted to see him.

He knew she worked in the kitchen.
And since Til had flown to her dorm yesterday, he probably knew where she slept too.

But Alina had no idea where he lived or worked.

Wait…

Her eyes landed on a shabby ivory-colored building.

Rihart had said he stayed there.

It was a small building near the First Prince’s Palace and the Princess’s Palace, surrounding the Emperor’s Palace.

As if drawn by a magnet, she walked toward it—but then hesitated.

She glanced nervously back toward the kitchen. It was a good distance away.

Isn’t it risky to wander too far from the kitchen?

She tightened her grip on the basket.

Even though she lived in the palace now, she almost never left the kitchen, dormitory, garden, or training yard.

Even with her new name and status… there was still a bounty on her head. She had to be careful.

But still…

She looked down at the basket.

If she didn’t give him the sandwich, Rihart would definitely go hungry.

She imagined the boy with his big hollow eyes…

“Can I get something tasty again?”

Her heart clenched.

She looked from the basket to the distant building.

Her face hardened, full of determination.

If I’m careful, it’ll be fine.

The building rarely had people going in or out.
Even Greta and Marika pretended it didn’t exist.

When Alina once asked Greta what it was, Greta vaguely said it was “probably a storage room.”

But a storage room in the middle of the imperial palace? Impossible.

Still… it didn’t seem dangerous.

I’ll just hand over the sandwich and leave right away.

She swallowed hard and walked toward the ivory building.

The closer she got, the more nervous she felt.

She kept her head low, eyes darting around, ready to run if she saw anyone.

What IS this place?

Before she knew it, she was standing right in front of it.

The building was old and worn, sitting between the Princess’s Palace and the First Prince’s Palace in a triangular arrangement.

No way this was just a storage room.

The total lack of foot traffic felt suspicious too.

Raising her gaze, she murmured,

“There’s no way a simple storage building would be in the middle of the palace. This must be used for something else.”

Up close, she noticed the walls weren’t originally ivory—they were white, just yellowed from age and poor maintenance.

“What do they do here?”

“That’s what I want to ask.”

Alina jumped at the sudden voice behind her.

She instinctively tried to flee—
But a hand caught her shoulder.

“Why are you running?”

The grip was strong enough to bruise.
The woman glared at her sharply.

Alina looked up with frightened eyes.

“I—I was just…”

“Yeah? And what are you doing here?”

Alina relaxed a little.
The woman didn’t seem to be someone from Zenotart sent to capture her.

Thank goodness…

Seeing the relief on her face, the woman tightened her grip.

“I said—explain yourself.”

“Ow!”

Alina winced and quickly checked the woman’s clothing.

“…Palace Steward?”

“What?”

A tall woman with perfectly groomed blond hair tied high on her head released her shoulder.

“Palace steward? Me?”

She wore a uniform jacket with epaulets and narrow trousers.
Alina rubbed her shoulder and blinked.

“Ah… you’re not? Sorry. I’m still not used to palace uniforms. I heard the steward was visiting the kitchen today, so I wondered if you were her.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you? You couldn’t even recognize me.”

The woman’s tone made Alina realize she had made a huge mistake.

Whoever this woman was—
She had serious authority.
Her face alone announced her status.

Alina quickly set the basket on the ground and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry! I’m Risse Kruger, from the kitchen—”

“What’s this?”

“…Pardon?”

“The palace steward is asking you a question, Risse Kruger.
What is this?”

“Oh… this…”

The steward stared at the basket, particularly the red-checked handkerchief covering it.

“It’s nothing important.”

The woman’s cold eyes sharpened.

“Very suspicious. Risse Kruger, who didn’t even recognize me—tell me exactly what this is.”

Her pressure made Alina panic.

Without thinking, she grabbed the basket.

“It’s food!”

“…What?”

“A sandwich! I brought it for a friend who lives here.”

“You’re friends with Rihart?”

The steward pushed her hair behind her ear and rested a hand on her hip.

Leaning against the column, the gold tassels on her deep-purple belt brushed the floor, making her legs look even longer.

Alina wasn’t sure if the palace steward’s uniform was always this fancy—
or if only this woman looked this commanding in it.

In fact, compared to her striking looks, the uniform seemed almost simple.

“I didn’t know that kid had any friends.”

The steward stroked her sharp jawline, staring at the basket as if thinking about the occupants of this ivory palace.

Alina nodded to her quietly.